Media Literacy in the Flemish EFL Classroom: A Teacher Survey

Information Letter

Description OF THE research

You are warmly invited to participate in a research study titled Media Literacy in the Flemish EFL Classroom: A Teacher Survey. This study investigates how Flemish secondary school teachers of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) understand and integrate media literacy into their teaching. It explores teachers’ conceptualisations, confidence levels, classroom practices, and personal media habits, as well as the individual and contextual factors that influence these. In addition, the study examines how teachers perceive media literacy as part of their professional role and identifies key enablers and barriers to its integration. By sharing your experiences and perspectives, you will contribute valuable insights that can help strengthen media literacy education in Flemish schools.

This research is conducted by Annelene Timmermans (Faculty of Arts, Linguistics – Language, Education and Society, KU Leuven) under the supervision of Prof. dr. Kris Van den Branden. It forms part of a PhD project on the integration of empowering media literacy education in the EFL classroom.

Participation in this study is entirely voluntary. You are free to withdraw at any time without giving a reason and without any disadvantages or consequences. Completing the survey will take approximately 20 minutes, and the data collection period will last about one month.

There are no foreseeable risks or discomforts associated with taking part in this research. Although there are no direct personal benefits, your responses will help advance understanding and practice of media literacy education in EFL teaching, while contributing to the improvement of professional development initiatives and the shaping of media literacy frameworks.

Information about the processing of your personal data

As a result of your participation in this study, personal data relating to you will be collected and processed. This processing will be done in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The following categories of personal data will be processed during this study: gender, migration background, age, education level, work experience, subjects taught, students’ grade level, type of secondary education, school province, name of school, students’ socio-economic background, previous media literacy-related training.

Use of your personal data

Only personal data required for the purposes of this study will be collected and processed. The data will be collected and processed anonymously. No directly or indirectly identifiable personal data (such as names, contact details, IP addresses, or school identification codes) will be collected. As a result, it will not be possible to link the data to you as an individual at any stage of the research process. Because the data are anonymous from the moment of collection, no pseudonymisation or re-identification procedure is required, and individual participants cannot be identified by the researcher. The data will be used exclusively for scientific research purposes and will be reported only in aggregated form, ensuring that individual participants or schools cannot be identified in any publications arising from the research.

The data will be processed on the basis of public interest. This means that the research will lead to advances in knowledge and generate insights that (directly or indirectly) benefit society. Ending your participation in the study means that the previously collected data can still be legally involved in the study and does not have to be deleted by KU Leuven.

Your data will be kept by the researchers for a minimum of 10 years after the end of the study at a secure storage location at KU Leuven.

Your rights

You have the right to ask for more information about the use of your data. In addition, you may exercise the right to access and the right to rectify your data unless exercising these rights would render impossible or seriously impair the achievement of the research objectives.

If you wish to invoke any of these rights, please contact the researchers using the contact information at the top of this letter.

Reuse of your data

The data collected in this study are anonymous from the moment of collection and do not contain any directly or indirectly identifiable personal data. As a result, the data cannot be linked to you as an individual at any stage of the research process.

Anonymous data from this study may be reused for scientific research purposes by researchers affiliated with KU Leuven or by academic partners working with or receiving data from KU Leuven (including, under certain conditions, master’s or doctoral students). Making research data available is essential for validating research findings and advancing scientific knowledge.

Any reuse of the data will take place exclusively for scientific research purposes and in accordance with applicable legislation and relevant KU Leuven policies. Appropriate technical and organisational measures will be taken to ensure secure storage, controlled access, and responsible use of the data.

In the context of data reuse, anonymous data may be shared with researchers or research infrastructures inside or outside the European Economic Area. As the data are anonymous, they do not constitute personal data under the GDPR. All parties involved will nevertheless be required to respect confidentiality and data protection standards.

Anonymous data from this study may also be made available on secure data platforms for further scientific research, for example in connection with publications arising from the study. Such platforms apply strict access policies and regulate data use in accordance with applicable legislation and institutional guidelines.

Contact details

For the purposes of this research, KU Leuven acts as the data controller. The study involves the collection and processing of anonymous research data only. No directly or indirectly identifiable personal data are collected, and the data cannot be linked to individual participants. The researcher involved, Annelene Timmermans, is responsible for the secure handling and analysis of the anonymous data. Should you have any questions about this study or about the way the data are handled, please feel free to contact her.

For further questions and concerns regarding the processing of your personal data, please contact the Data Protection Officer for scientific research at KU Leuven (dpo@kuleuven.be). When doing so, please specify the study concerned by mentioning the title as well as the names of the researchers involved.

If, after contacting the data protection officer, you would still like to lodge a complaint about the use of your personal data, you can contact the Belgian Data Protection Authority (www.gegevensbeschermingsautoriteit.be).